The present disclosure is related to the field of telemetry. More specifically, the present disclosure is related to a system and method for predicting the destination of a patient.
Telemetry systems, such as those used in the medical field, are designed to provide continuous physiological monitoring of ambulatory patients. The telemetry system permits ambulatory patients to have the freedom to move around, which has been shown to aid in the recovery process, while being under constant physiological monitoring by either a clinician, an automated monitoring system, or both. The area in which the monitored patients are permitted to move while being monitored is restricted by the areas of the hospital or medical care facility that are designed for, and equipped, with the hardware for telemetry coverage. If a patient moves outside of the telemetry coverage area, continuous monitoring of the patient may lapse, causing delays in treatment should a medical event, such as cardiac arrest, occur during this time. It is also difficult for clinical personnel to locate the patient, when the patient is outside of the telemetry coverage area. The location of a patient within the telemetry coverage area is often determined and/or provided to clinical personnel by location services functionality employed in conjunction with the telemetry system.
Currently available technology provides alerts indicative of telemetry signal dropout that are caused when the patient goes out of the telemetry coverage area. However, by the time that these alerts are presented, monitoring coverage of the patient has already lapsed, and the specific location of the patient is unknown.